Influnza A H1N1 spreading in Japanese High School!

[swine_flu_H1H1]

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/090516/5/1jme8.html

日本新型流感本土病例再確定2名共達3名
中央社 更新日期:"2009/05/16 21:14"

（中央社記者張芳明東京16日專電）日本厚生勞動省今晚宣佈，神戶市的一所高中又確認2名學生感染H1N1新型流感，使得日本國內確定的本土感染者增至3名。

厚勞省指出，新確定的是一名16歲的高中男生和一名16歲的高中女生，他們和今天中午稍前確認的1名17歲高中男生都是兵庫縣立神戶高中的學生。

新確定感染的高二男生是15日發燒後接受市內醫療機構簡易檢查時呈陽性，同日傍晚發燒達39.7度， 今晚確定感染新型流感，目前正接受治療。

另一名高二女生是12日發燒，和17歲感染者在同一醫療機構接受簡易診斷呈陽性，今天凌晨住院治療，今晚被確定感染新型流感。

兩名新確定感染者都是經由神戶市有關當局驗出新型流感病毒後，再經國立傳染病研究所的再次檢查後而於今晚確定病情。確定感染的3名都未曾出國過，異於日前在成田機場檢疫時查出的4名境外感染者。

同一高中的另外17名學生也出現身體不適現象，部分學生已前往醫院接受治療。

大阪府今晚也宣佈由茨木市內一名未曾出國過的高二女生驗出新型流感病毒，正由傳染病研究所進行最終的確認。這名女生經服用克流感後病情好轉中。

此外，同校的7名男女學生和1名學生的家人共8人在簡易檢查呈陽性，已進行精密檢查中。另外，還有近100名的該校學生出現發燒等症狀正接受簡易檢查。

厚勞省研判有可能開始出現集體感染的疫情，正在加速進行調查。980516

 

[swine_flu_H1H1]

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.as...01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-396696-1&sec=Worldupdates

Western Japan city to close schools due to new flu

TOKYO (Reuters) - A city in western Japan will close some public schools for a week after eight people were confirmed as being infected with the new H1N1 influenza on Saturday.

Three of the eight are teenage students from the same school in Kobe city, Kyodo news agency reported, citing the Health Ministry and local authorities.

Japan already had four cases of the new virus from people returning from abroad, but the three students were the first confirmed cases involving people who have not been overseas.

The other five cases in the city are from a different high school, Kyodo said.

Health Minister Yoichi Masuzoe said authorities would try to determine who had been in close contact with the infected students and take steps such as asking such people to stay at home in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.

"Utmost efforts will be made to prevent the infection from spreading," Masuzoe told a news conference.

"The most important issue is to protect the health and lives of citizens, but at the same time, the freedom of individual and economic activity must be respected," Masuzoe said.

Yasuo Kawahara, an official at Kobe city hall, said public schools in certain parts of the city, including kindergartens and elementary schools as well as junior and senior high schools, would be closed until next Friday.

The city has also decided to cancel a festival that had been planned this weekend, Kawahara said by telephone.

At a separate news conference, officials at the Health Ministry said it was planning to gradually scale down quarantine inspections on entry to Japan and shift to measures to prevent the domestic spread of the influenza.

The new virus is behaving much like a seasonal influenza strain -- spreading rapidly and causing mainly mild symptoms.

On Friday, the World Health Organisation warned against a false sense of security from waning and apparently mild outbreaks of H1N1 flu, saying the worst may not be over.

But WHO Director-General Margaret Chan could not say whether the U.N. agency might raise its pandemic alert to the highest level from the current 5 on a scale of 6.

(Additional reporting by Charlotte Cooper)

Copyright © 2008 Reuters

 

[swine_flu_H1H1]

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20090516-00000131-jij-soci


8日にバレーボール交流試合＝感染確認の県立2校−神戸

5月16日23時10分配信 時事通信
　神戸市で新たに新型インフルエンザ感染が確認された女子生徒5人が通う県立兵庫高校は、男子生徒ら3人が感染した県立神戸高校とは、市内でも離れた地域にあるが、両校は8日、バレーボールの交流試合をしていた。
　市などによると、女子生徒5人のうち4人はバレーボール部員。また、神戸高校の1例目の男子生徒もバレーボール部に所属。同部では大型連休明けにインフルエンザがはやっていた。試合当日、男子部員1人が部活を休んだほか、9日には2人が欠席。10日に市外の別の高校と行った交流試合では、2人が体調不良を訴えたという。
　兵庫高校の5人はほぼ12日以降に発熱している上、市外の高校でも体調不良を訴える生徒がいることから、交流試合で感染した可能性がある。
　実際の因果関係は現時点で不明だが、市の担当者は交流試合という接点に注目。16日の会見で「必ず濃厚接触をした可能性があるところで（感染者が）出ている」と指摘。その上で、「感染を封じ込めるという意味で、ターゲットはある程度見えている」との認識を示した。　

【関連ニュース】
・ 【特集】新型インフルエンザ
・ 〔写真特集〕新型インフルエンザ
・ 〔用語解説〕「新型インフルエンザ」
・ エクアドルも渡航注意=外務省
・ 学校、地域の接触者リストアップ=既に感染拡大の恐れ

 

[flkyflky]

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.as...01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-396888-1&sec=Worldupdates

Japan confirms 96 H1N1 flu cases, most are students

TOKYO (Reuters) - The number of confirmed H1N1 flu cases in Japan has risen to 96, a health ministry official said on Monday, with most of new cases seen in high school students in western Japan, many of whom have not travelled abroad.

Over 80 high school students in Hyogo and Osaka prefectures were confirmed to be infected with the new flu virus, Keiichiro Suemasa, a health ministry official said.
People wear face masks at a shopping street in Kobe, western Japan, May 17, 2009. The number of confirmed H1N1 flu cases in Japan has risen to 96, a health ministry official said on Monday, with most of new cases seen in high school students in western Japan, many of whom have not travelled abroad. (REUTERS/Kyodo)

The ministry has called for the suspension of classes at all middle and high schools in Hyogo, where 53 cases were confirmed, as well as neighbouring Osaka, where 39 cases were confirmed, Suemasa said.

The figure includes four cases that Japan confirmed earlier this month among people that returned from abroad.

The ministry has not received information on anyone being critically ill from the H1N1 flu, Suemasa said.

The World Health Organisation said last week that it is closely monitoring the situation in Japan after three students from the same high school who have not travelled abroad came down with the H1N1 flu.

More than 35 countries have confirmed cases of the virus, and some 60 people have died in Mexico of the new flu strain, which last month prompted the World Health Organization to raise its global pandemic alert level to 5 on a 6-point scale.

Copyright © 2008 Reuters